Author's Note

Let's give a big hand for FrostGuardian for helping me out with the 2nd chapter of this story. Be sure to follow him on his fimfiction and as always, thank you for your patience and support, remember to stay tuned for more chapters and remember to keep bronying on.

Having "The Talk" at Lunchtime

"Alrighty then. Frostbite, come along with me. Before we git down to business, we always start things off around here with an early mornin' breakfast," AJ said. "Have ya had anythin' to eat before ya got here?"

"Only a slice of buttered toast," he replied.

"Well then yer in luck. If yer gonna work hard, ya gotta eat good so you can have more energy throughout the whole day," Applejack explained. "An' yer gonna love Ma's home cookin'. She learned from Granny Smith an' she learned well."

"Mmm, sounds good,' Frostbite smiled.

"Come on now, before Pa and Big Mac eat the whole dang table," AJ said, grabbing his hand. While she guided him up to her house, Frostbite was blushing madly at how she was holding his hand so casually. But as much as he wanted to die happy, he drowned out the heavenly choir in his head and walked inside AJ's home. "Howdy everyone, look who's here!"

"Howdy there, youngun. So yer the feller that my granddaughter hired yesterday. Y'all must be in fine shape to keep up with our daily work," Granny Smith said.

"Ooh, an' yer not a bad-lookin' young man either. Oh, you remind me so much o' mah husband when we were younger. Speakin' o' which, where is that slowpoke?" she asked jokingly.

"Ah'm comin' dear, no need to yank on mah chain," said an older man's voice. You looked down the hall and saw AJ's dad, but in a wheelchair. It's amazing how his youngest daughter, Applebloom looks so much like him. The red hair, bright yellow skin, but the eyes are different. Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, not in this family anyways. "Oh, an' who's this?" he asks, turning to Frostbite.

"My name's Frostbite. I'm gonna be working with you guys," Frostbite introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet ya, son. Name's Bright Macintosh," he said as they shook hands. "This here lovely lady is mah wife, Pear Butter. But Ah usually call her Buttercup on a count o' how on our first date, Ah sneeze some buttercup flowers onto her an' it got all over her hair. Ya shoulda seen how adorable she looked."

"Respectfully, I think your wife is still pretty adorable," Frostbite complimented.

"Aww, ain't y'all just the sweetest thang," Pear said, cupping his cheek, blushing.

“Come on now ma, don’t embarrass Frostbite on his first day,” Applejack said.

“Sorry Sweetie, he seems to know how to flatter a girl. I’m surprised you don’t have the hots fer this young man even after graduatin'. He's a real keeper," Pear winked. Now AJ was blushing madly at her mother's teasing.

"Ma! Why'd ya have to say that?!”

“Aw AJ, you know your mom is only teasing ya,” Bright Mac assured his daughter.

"If y'all 're done chatterin', let's hurry an' fill up our bellies an' git to work!" Granny Smith said.

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.

"Me too," Applebloom added. Now that everyone got a good laugh from AJ's embarrassment, they all took their seats at the table. Pear and Granny Smith set several tasty dishes on the table that made Frostbite's stomach rumble for more food. They had made apple fritters, pancakes, apple strudels, hash browns and a jug of apple juice.

"Mmm, this looks delicious," Frostbite said.

"Why thank you. Ma and Ah worked hard to make this scrumptious spread," Pear replied. "Go right on ahead and serve yerselves." With her permission granted, Frostbite got himself a plateful of everything and maybe a little more. But, he made sure to show good table manners and ate at a steady pace.

"Anyone wanna bet he might want 2nds?" Bright Mac asked.

“I’m up for it.” Frostbite quickly replied.

Bright Mac smiled and handed him another plate full of delicious apple sweets. “You got some good appetite young man and soon you’ll become big and strong like us, Apples.”

"But he ain't got no stomach of an ox like AJ does. She's always eaten 3rds and on some occasions 4ths, an' good thing, too. We like to have our meals being eaten fresh," Granny Smith mentioned, looking at AJ.

AJ blushed while serving herself a 3rd plate full of delicious apple sweets. Everyone else laughed it off while they kept enjoying this delightful breakfast. Frostbite felt more at home here than he did back at his house.

“You alright there Sugarcube?” AJ shook his shoulder softly. “You were spacing out a bit.”

Frostbite shook his head a bit, focusing his mind back on the present. “Yeah, I’m good AJ. I was thinking how I just met your family and I already feel such a strong connection with you all.”

“Well Sonny, we Apples always look out for each other and our friends,” Granny Smith explained. “Any friend of Applejack is a friend of ours.”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac added.

“Totally!” Applebloom agreed.

AJ, along with her parents nodded their head in agreement as well. It made Frostbite’s cheeks turn red as he scratched the back of his head. “Aw shucks, thank y'all, that really means a lot.”

“See? You already sound like a true Apple!” AJ joked making the whole table laugh at the joke, including Frostbite.

“Alright that’s enough family bonding for now everyone,” Pear stood up from her seat. “The sun’s now up it’s time fer us all to get to work. We still have a lot of apples to harvest.”

Now that everyone had their fill, they all headed out to the apple orchard and began to harvest their fresh apples. Applejack had Frostbite come with her to the west part of the orchard where those apples were ready to be picked. Big Mac and Applebloom headed off to pick apples on east side of the orchard. Bright Mac and Pear Butter stayed in the farm, separating the good apples from the bad apples.

Meanwhile, Granny Smith stayed inside the house, washing up all the dishes, humming to herself, minding her own business.

So far, Applejack and Frostbite have already picked a total of 15 baskets of apples. Not a bad start for the two on their first day working together. Of course, while she was working, she couldn't help but admire Frostbite's dedication. With a little luck, he could even help make their quota by the time the Autumn season comes. Right now they were carrying a few of the 15 baskets filled with apples back to the barn.

“Thank ya kindly, Frostbite, for helping us out. I made a bet with Big Mac in the morning that we could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by Lunchtime. If we win, he’s gonna walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny’s girdles.” Applejack chuckled while carrying her baskets with ease.

“You’re welcome, AJ! Glad I could help you and your family out. It’s hard work picking all those apples but I love doing it with you… working I mean.”

"Glad to hear it. It ain't every day we get help from people other than mah friends. So tell me, what made ya decide to work here of all places?" AJ asked.

"Well...you know… it's a pretty large orchard and… you could use some help and since I got fired from my previous job, I figured I could lend you a hand. That and… well… maybe I'll tell you the other reason some other time," Frostbite said, scratching the back of his head.

"Ah can respect that. How 'bout this weekend? Maybe on Saturday over at the Sugar Cafe? It's one o' the best places to hang out and grab a good bite to eat," AJ invited.

“Sure, I have no plans then. Sounds fun.” Frostbite approved of her idea. “What time there?”

“How about at 12:30? Ah got a break durin' that time, partner," Applejack replied.

"Hmm, alright Applejack it’s a date-deal! I mean it's a deal!!!” Frostbite stumbled over his words as a drip of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Applejack chuckled, "Alrighty then, sugarcube. Ah'll be seein' ya this Saturday. Now let's git back to work." Frostbite nodded and they both entered the barn and placed their first baskets of apples inside.

Once that was done, they headed back out in another part of the orchard. But then, Frostbite's eyes darted down towards Applejack's fresh apple ass. He had never seen a more beautifully fresh pair of apples in his life. But when AJ looked back, Frostbite immediately looked back at her beautiful, shiny green eyes. He hoped that she didn’t catch him looking at her sexy butt.

"Hope ya got more fuel in the tank, 'cause the work around here is just beginnin'," she said.

"After that big meal, I might have enough energy to pull in some overtime," Frostbite said.

"Whoa-ho there, sounds like a winnin' attitude if Ah ever heard one." AJ replied.

“Well AJ, that’s one thing you need to know about me: I won’t stop till the job gets done,” Frostbite said, sincerely. Applejack, pleased with his motivation, looked over to him with those twinkling emerald eyes and bright smile. The kind of look that made Frostbite's heart skip a beat and his face flush. AJ quickly noticed it and chuckled.

"Is that sunburn or are ya blushin'?" AJ asked. It only made Frostbite blush even more when she caught onto him admiring her natural charm.

“Eh, it’s just some sunburn AJ, nothing to worry about,” he assured her.

"If ya say so," AJ knew he was lying, but didn't press on. She knew where to draw the line… for the time being anyways.

Later on during the day Frostbite and AJ finally got done with their apple picking. And for AJ, she was glad to have won the bet. She really let her brother have it and Applebloom was more than happy to take some pictures once Big Mac had Granny’s girdles on.

Big Mac has never felt more humiliated in his life. But wait, the fun doesn't stop there. Big Mac and Frostbite were now taking their cargo of fresh apples to the customers. The customers were having the time of their lives when Frostbite and Big Mac delivered their apples.

But wait, there's more, when Big Mac and Frostbite drove over to Sugar Belle's pastry shop, she had a hell of a field day to see her fiance in his granny's girdles. She couldn't stop laughing and almost cracked her ribs. This was definitely Frostbite's best first day working with AJ at Sweet Apple Acres.

After returning to the farm, Frostbite and AJ now had to get to work on making some apple cider for cider season. After they filled their first barrel, they placed it aside as this one was meant for one of Applejack’s best friends: Rainbow Dash. One of the best athletes of CHS and she loves some good apple cider made by the Apple family.

Some might say she's one of the main reasons the apple family is in business and always the first one to buy a barrel of apple cider on the first day of the season. As tasty as the apple cider was, making that stuff is hard work, especially when Frostbite and the Apple family have to sort out the good apples from the bad.

Only Granny Smith and Pear Butter could tell the good from the bad. Frostbite didn't know how they could tell, but he wasn't one to question their area of expertise. While they were sorting the apples, Applejack told Frostbite the story about how they nearly lost the farm to Flim and Flam. The two brothers had invented a machine that produced apple cider twice as fast as the Apple Family, but it had terrible results.

"Psh, those idiots don't appreciate the fundamentals of making real apple cider," Frostbite rolled his eyes at the thought of those scam artists. "I'll drink a fresh bottle of your apple cider any day over their slop."

"Thanks a bunch, Sugarcube. Ah'm glad someone other than Rainbow Dash appreciates the hard work we put into makin' such fine refreshments," Pear replied.

“Your welcome, Pear,” Frostbite said. “I’m kinda ‘old school’ I prefer the original ways of working with my bare hands instead of using modern machines these days. It makes me feel like I'm alive and I enjoy what I do.”

“Now, that’s somethin’ you don’t hear everyday,” Granny Smith complimented him. “We just might make a true Apple out of you.”

"By the way, how'd ya get fired at yer previous job again?" Pear asked. "Ah hope Ah didn't sound too nosey, just curious."

"I lost my temper and beat up this burglar who tried to make off with a bag of jewels and this woman's purse, leaving him in a bloody mess," Frostbite said, blushing from his blunder. "My boss had enough with my temper and kicked me out."

"Sounds like ya really have a thang against them there thievin' whippersnappers. Ah tell ya, ol' cranky Pears had a similar grudge to yers," Granny Smith said.

"Who?" Frostbite asked.

"She means mah Pa, Grand Pear. An' as Applebloom calls him, "Grand Pear-Pear." He had a similar grudge against crooks. Anytime he caught them snoopin' around his pear farm, he made 'em work fer 12 hour straight with no breaks. Taught 'em a lesson on how stealin' was wrong." Pear said before giggling.

"Wow, maybe I should've used that method instead. Where is he right now?" Frostbite asked. But the moment he asked that, their smiles quickly faded.

"He's… no longer with us. He passed away 6 months ago from natural causes. Ah should let ya know, he an' mah in-laws would always feud. Since Bright Mac an' Ah were kids, we always had a thang fer each other. Though our parents forbade it, we still saw each other day in an' day out. Then the day came when Ah decided to git married to Bright Mac. Ah even had to make the tough decision of bein' an apple over a pear. Mah father even made me choose." Pear explained with tears in her eyes.

"What? That's cruel!" Frostbite said, keeping his cool and trying not to blow up with anger.

"It wasn't all bad. Years later, that ol' grump came back an' said he was sorry, hopin' to make up fer lost time. 6 months ago, he used his last breath tellin' mah son he was glad he married Pear an' told us all how much he loved us. That ol' grouch soon slept fer good with a peaceful smile on his wrinkly ol' face," Granny Smith finished.

“My condolences to you all,” Frostbite managed to say after hearing the entire story about Pear Butter’s father. Despite that he was a big old grumpy pants at least he died happily.

"Ya know, in a way, yer like ma Pa. Ya might have a rough exterior, but yer heart's always in the right place. Ah dare say ya might already be a part o' the family," Pear said.

"Thank you, Pear. That really means a lot." Frostbite kindly replied.

"Now then, what do ya say we git back down to business. We still got a lot o' apples to sort out and turn into fresh apple cider," Granny Smith said. Frostbite nods and keeps helping the others sort out the apples, making up for lost time after hearing such an emotional story. Somehow, hearing that sweet story has given him a brand new set of confidence when he meets up with AJ on the weekend for his lunch date.

He can only hope it doesn't end badly like it did with his old job.

A few days later, Frostbite was getting used to his new daily work life at Sweet Apple Acres. He spent some of his freetime, trying to play out how he was gonna tell AJ everything, from the time he admired her and the time he botched on asking her out.

He kept up with his daily routine, working until 6PM and heading off to bed at 9PM. Applejack was glad to have him around. No matter the weather, Frostbite helped her and her family out through rain and wind. Though she may not admit it she sometimes stares at him while Frostbite is picking apples or carrying his baskets. His muscles were quite a sight.

Frostbite also got a few looks when walking up the hills, catching a good view of AJ's sweet apple ass, though he had to pull all the stops to hide his boner in his tight pants.

Unbeknownst to him, AJ's family could tell he was checking her out, but didn't say a word. Well… except for Applebloom. She loved giving him a hard time, teasing him about his infatuation over her big sister, much to Frostbite’s annoyance. But at least she didn’t tell AJ about him… for now.

It was 6PM again as Frostbite placed his last basket for today inside the barn. Dusting his hands off, he waited for AJ to arrive with her baskets. The sun was already setting for today and soon, the hard-working farm gal showed up, setting down her basket and wiping the sweat off of her forehead, sighing in relief.

"Another job well done, partner. That's yer cue to head on home an' wash up. Ya put in some real effort today. Thanks a bunch," AJ said.

"Right. It was my pleasure. We're still on for that lunch tomorrow, right?" Frostbite asked.

"You betcha. Now don't ya go flakin' out on me, ya hear?" AJ smirked.

"I'm very punctual when it comes to arriving on time. So you bet your apples I'll be at the Sugar Cafe with bells on," Frostbite assured.

Pleased with his answer, AJ saw him off with a wink. Frostbite got into his car and drove back home, leaving Applejack and her family. As soon as he was out of her eyesight, AJ felt a hint of blush form on her cheeks. "He's one in a million, that Frostbite feller," she said.

“He sure is big sis,” Applebloom replied from behind a haystack.

“Applebloom! Were you spyin’ on us again?”

“‘Course not sis, I was just tired from working extra hard today. I helped Big Mac in making some Apple Cider after I’d finished picking Apples. When I got back here I just wanted to lay down for a bit and that’s when I heard you two come in,” she replied honestly.

"Uh-huh," AJ said skeptically.

Meanwhile, Frostbite arrived at his house later on after his long drive. After exiting his car, he locked the door and headed inside of his house, locking the door. Frostbite didn't wait for a second to take off his shirt. He walked down the hall and tossed his shirt into the dirty basket. Then, he made his way into the bathroom where he removed his pants, boxers, socks and shoes, sighing in relief.

"Any longer and I would've stunk up the whole neighborhood." he said to himself. Frostbite closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower. He then stepped inside once the shower was warm enough. As the warm water crashed down on his body, he started thinking about his date with AJ. "This is my only chance. I can't let it pass by me anymore. No more being nervous or shy. She has to hear what I have to say, even if I do end up getting rejected."

Frostbite was now more determined than he ever was. He lost his chance to dance with AJ at the prom, but faith has given him a 2nd chance. He's not going to let it pass by again.

It was now 12:25 P.M and Frostbite had arrived a little early. He was currently waiting inside his car for AJ to arrive. While waiting for her, he was thinking about what he said to himself yesterday and how he’s going to tell AJ about his feelings for her. “Just stay, calm Frostbite. Keep it cool and most importantly be honest. She can tell when you’re lying to her.” He encouraged himself.

And within minutes, he sees a familiar red truck pull up into the driveway. In the driver's seat was Big Mac and in the passenger's seat was the sweet farmer gal he's been crushing on. She climbs out of the truck and waves bye to her brother. He waves back at his sister, then over at Frostbite with his warm smile. He pulls out of the driveway and heads back to the farm, leaving his sister in the company of Frostbite.

This was Frostbite's cue to climb out of his own car and walks up to AJ. "I hope I didn't arrive too late, Applejack," he said.

"Nope. Ya got here just in time, as usual. Ya sure make a habit outta bein' at the right place at the right time." AJ assured proudly.

“Heh, thanks AJ,” Frostbite rubbed the back of his head, blushing a little. “It’s a habit of mine to arrive a little earlier than usual so I certainly will be on time. Shall we go inside now? I’m getting a little hungry.”

“Right behind ya, partner.” Applejack replied, following his lead.

Frostbite guided her towards the entrance of the Sugar Cafe and opened the door for her while stepping to the side. “After you, m’lady.”

“Why thank ya, Sugarcube,” the farm girl said and went inside with him following behind. The two of them walked up to a table 2nd closest to the door. Afterwards, one of the waitresses came up to the two, greeting them both and handing them their menus.

"Can I start you both off with something to drink?" she asked.

"Sure, a nice cup o' orange soda will do," Applejack replied.

"And a Coke, please," Frostbite added.

"Okay then, I'll have them out right away," the waitress said happily before leaving.

"Ya gotta love the services they provide here," Applejack commented.

"Eeyup," Frostbite said, mimicking her brother. AJ giggled and Frostbite laughed alongside with her, already having a good time. "Hey AJ, what made you decide to invite me out for lunch here in the first place? We've barely started out as friends and co-workers, so what's the occasion?"

"Ah just wanted to get to know ya better. Ah hardly know much 'bout you, aside from yer work history, so Ah brought ya out here so mah family wouldn't snoop around in mah private time," Applejack replied.

"Oh, I see," Frostbite replied.

"So, if it ain't too much trouble, why don't ya tell me what yer family's like?" AJ said. "But if ya don't feel comfortable 'bout it, Ah understand."

"Sure, I trust you with my personal life. Okay, here it goes," Frostbite cleared his throat before he began his story. "You see, AJ, my family's been looking out for me for as long as I can remember, though they do have their flaws. For instance, last year, in 2019, life was pretty sour with me and it drove me pretty insane."

"Oh mah," AJ said, already feeling concerned.

"I've been losing friends left and right, my social media was constantly blowing up with lots of hateful comments about me, so… I wanted to set myself free. But there were two people at the time who tried their best to help me in my darkest hour, even when I had given up and refused to listen to them. I even… attempted the biggest mistake of my life," Frostbite said solemnly, softly rubbing his neck.

"Mah god, why would ya do that?" AJ asked, grabbing his hand.

"Because back then, I felt like the whole world was against me. But I was rehabilitated and within a month with the help of my family and friends, I was able to regain my life. I'm still struggling though, but as long as I have my friends, my mom, dad and my brother with me, I'm finally happy for the first time," Frostbite replied with a calm smile.

AJ lowered her hat out of respect for her friend's story. "Ah'm happy ya feel better now. But how'd ya escape death?" she asked.

"My friend found me hanging in my room and took me to the hospital. He also had a friend who talked to me on social media. He talked to me like I had a purpose in life. He said I was more valuable than I thought. He's a real pal for chatting with me and so was my other friend for rushing me to the hospital," Frostbite explained.

"Thank goodness. Ain't no one you can count on better than yer friends an' family. whether ya got many or a few friends, they'll always be there fer ya," AJ said as a single tear fell from her cheek and still kept that beautiful smile.

"Order up, one orange soda and a Coke," the waitress said, handing them their drinks. "So, have you decided on what you want to order?"

"Eeyup. Ah'll have the special one-pound burger with secret sauce an' make it a combo," Applejack replied, rubbing her empty stomach.

"And I'll have the triple hot dog meal with chili cheese fries on the side," Frostbite replied.

"Okay then, I'll have your meals ready in just a few minutes," afterwards, the waitress left their table and went back behind the counter. Now having their privacy once again, AJ got more curious of what else happened to Frostbite.

"Ah hope Ah don't sound insensitive asking this, but who turned against ya?" AJ asked.

"Nearly all of my friends. I… I even had a few girlfriends, but none of them worked out. I just kept… falling for the wrong girl.” Frostbite said with a sad look on his face. “Those were some very bad times.”

"Ah see. Ah'm mighty sorry they weren't the right ones," AJ said regretfully. “Ah brought ya down,”

"It's okay. I've moved on. But anyways, AJ… is it okay if I tell you something?" he asked.

"Of course, anythin'," she nodded after taking a sip from her orange soda.

Frostbite cleared his throat, trying to shake off his nerves. 'Okay, this is it. Don't get cold feet on her now,' he thinks to himself. "Umm, AJ? Do you remember when umm… I, uh… tried to talk to you that one time, but ended up taking off?"

"Yeah, Ah remember it as plain as day, but why bring that up?" she asked.

"Well, you see… I was… I was… I was trying to ask you out to the prom, but I lost the nerve to ask you, so I just ran," Frostbite said. "I-I’m very sorry about that. I was afraid that you would reject me. The reason why I wanted to ask you because… I started to fall in love with you. Ever since High school I admired you and how you always work so hard for your friends and family. You have such beautiful peachy skin, it makes me want to hug you in comfort whenever you’re feeling down and depressed. Your beautiful shiny, green eyes are making me feel safe whenever I’m around you. And your soft, long blonde hair fits you perfectly with your cowgirl hat. So what I’m trying to say is: I love you, Applejack."

Applejack's eyes widened from his confession. Her cheeks turned bright red and her eyes looked downwards with that beautiful smile still on her face. "Well shucks, no one's ever said that to me. Ah'm mighty glad ya feel that strongly towards me, Frostbite."

"And, I was hoping that maybe whenever you're not busy we can… go out on more dates?" Frostbite asked, his heart racing.

The farm girl, gave him a sincere smile and placed both her hands on his. “I would like that very much, Sugarcube.” As she said that, she leaned in close to Frostbite and gently pressed her lips onto his. Frostbite's mind exploded like the 4th of July. He had just gotten a kiss from the girl of his dreams and all he could think of to say in his head was 'SCORE!!!'

Once they seperated, AJ got up from her seat and sat down next to Frostbite. "If we're gonna be datin', it's only natural fer couples to sit together," she said. Frostbite felt even more happy than before and held AJ's hand. She didn't object and leaned into his shoulder.

As the new couple enjoyed each other's company, the waitress came back, carrying plates with the food they’ve ordered. She noticed that Applejack and Frostbite were now sitting next to each other and she knew why. She felt happy that the two found each other and placed their food neatly on their table. “Enjoy your food you two,” she said before leaving the couple alone again.

Frostbite and Applejack kindly thanked the waitress before they began eating. Frostbite's luck had finally gotten better now that he has his cute farmgirl by his side.